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Kolhapur court orders elephant ‘Omkar’ to be temporarily moved to Vantara
The court has emphasised that the operation must be carried out with utmost care, ensuring the elephant is neither harmed nor subjected to trauma.
Pune: A court in Kolhapur has permitted the capture of the wild elephant Omkar in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, and allowed his temporary relocation to the Radha Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust (Vantara) in Gujarat.
The court has emphasised that the operation must be carried out with utmost care, ensuring the elephant is neither harmed nor subjected to trauma. The capture order issued on November 12 was in accordance with the order dated April 8, issued by the chief wildlife warden.
The court, in its order, directed that Vantara will take charge of Omkar’s welfare and training, maintaining minimal human intervention until the high-powered committee (HPC) submits its report. Forest officials will be allowed regular access to monitor Omkar’s safety and well-being while at Vantara.
The HPC has been tasked with recommending the most suitable course of action for Omkar’s rehabilitation or release—whether in captivity, in the wild, or through temporary relocation. Additionally, the court has allowed both the petitioner and the intervenor to submit comprehensive representations or suggestions to the committee.
Earlier in April this year, the chief wildlife warden of Maharashtra issued a capture and translocation order for Omkar following the incident of human death reported in Sindhudurg district, which suspected involvement of Omkar. Opposing this in October this year, petitioner Rohit Kambale, who has been working in elephant conservation in Kolhapur, Sindhudurg districts, has filed a public interest litigation and raised genuine concern about the well being of the elephant.
When asked by the court, the forest department, in their response, submitted that the decision to capture and translocate Omkar, a 10–12-year-old sub-adult wild elephant, was taken after months of escalating conflict, repeated public complaints, and a fatal attack reported in Sindhudurg district.
In its submission, the department stated that eight wild elephants have been moving across Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts, with six travelling as a herd. Omkar was pushed out of this group and began roaming alone in the Sawantwadi forests. Officials told the court that his isolation led to erratic and aggressive behaviour.
Since September 2025, Omkar has been involved in over 60 incidents of crop damage, as well as two vehicle-damage cases in Sawantwadi and Dodamarg talukas.
The situation turned critical on April 8 when Omkar killed a resident of Morle village, Laxman Yashwant Gawas.
A detailed report recommending Omkar’s capture was sent by the Deputy Conservator of Forests (Sawantwadi) soon after, and subsequently endorsed by senior officials, including the Chief Conservator of Forests (Kolhapur), the Additional PCCF (Wildlife), West, and the PCCF (Wildlife).
An advisory committee—constituted under the Recommended Operating Procedure (ROP) for managing elephants in conflict—met thrice between September and October. Experts, including senior wildlife veterinarian NS Manoharan, concluded that Omkar displayed stress-linked behaviour due to the absence of a mentor elephant. They recommended immediate capture and temporary translocation to protect both local communities and the animal.
The department approached the Karnataka forest department, Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur, and the Sironcha division for relocation options, but did not receive positive responses. Elephant camps in Tamil Nadu also did not respond. However, Vantara, a private elephant welfare facility in Jamnagar, agreed to accept Omkar temporarily and issued a consent letter on October 16.
